The concept of a virtual universe (also called a virtual world, virtual environment, or a metaverse) is rapidly becoming a popular part of today's culture. In general, a virtual universe (VU) is a digital world (e.g., a three-dimensional computer-generated landscape) in which a user controls an avatar (e.g., a graphical representation of the user in the VU) to interact with objects and other avatars within the VU. Examples of popular VUs include SECOND LIFE (a registered trademark of Linden Research, Inc. in the United States, other countries, or both) and ACTIVEWORLDS (a registered trademark of Activeworlds, Inc. in the United States, other countries, or both).
Generally, a host computing system stores data regarding the landscape, objects, and users of the VU. A client software program runs on each user computer. The client program communicates (e.g., through a network connection) with the host system, and provides a visual (and, sometimes, audible) representation of the VU on the user computer. As the user moves his or her avatar throughout the VU, the visual representation displayed on the user computer changes according to the avatar location in the VU. In this manner, a user may cause his or her avatar to approach other avatars or objects and interact with the other avatars or objects. For example, one avatar may approach and communicate with another avatar via VOIP (voice over IP) and/or text-based communication through the network.
Other types of communication include instant messaging and chat sessions. However, these communication methods are time consuming in that they require users to constantly accept invitations for a chat session.